After a lot
of negotiation, we finally got a date from Geoff and
Nancy Masterman of Superior Semen Works, Milton, New
Hampshire for our Artificial Insemination (AI) Class
and Semen Collection. We put the information out by
e-mail, e-groups, on our web site, and published posters
inviting folk to the AI Class and letting them know
about the collection. One of the people we notified,
Karen Jackson, goat specialist at our local University
of Tennessee Extension Office, wrote an article that
appeared in the local newspaper, The Advocate.

As soon as
we penned down the date, we had to program tease does
for the class and for the collection. In addition
to the tease does, we had talked to Gregg about AIing
a couple of our does with some of the semen they had
collected since we had seen them last. CIDRs went
into eights does - four does to be AIed and the other
four for tease does. Other tease does would be brought
into standing heat using Lutalyse with no CIDR. Things
were looking good.

In addition,
a dozen fresh (within a week) unrefrigerated eggs
are required. The egg yokes are used in the freezing
of the semen. After several attempts, we found a source
for the eggs.

A week before
our collection date we thought we would have eight
bucks to collect on Monday the 22 of November and
14 to 16 people to attend the AI Class. All was well.

Starting
that week we began to get calls from folks who had
either had a failure at an earlier attempt to collect
or had missed a previous collection or could not come
to the Monday collection. The Mastermans, after conferring
with us, told several folks they would collect their
buck on Sunday afternoon – either before or
after the class.

So here we
were, the AI Class to began at 1 pm on Sunday, with
the Mastermans arriving at the collection site from
Fayetteville, TN, at 11 am on Sunday morning.

Pat’s
Dad and Mom, where the collection was held, would
not be available until after 11 a.m. on Sunday nor
would we. I did mention to her Dad where I though
the Mastermans should set up. When we arrived at 11
a.m., the Mastermans’ camper trailer was in
location, and two groups were there with bucks to
be collected. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

On Friday
the 19th of November, we pulled four CIDRs at 12 a.m.
and 2 at 6 p.m. and 2 more the morning of the 20th
of November. In addition, we gave Lutalyse shots to
3 does who had CIDRs and three does we had not CIDRed.
We added our tease buck, Fred, to the group, and he
has a ball. Fred,
our tease, had a vasectomy performed by our vet, Dr.
Wyatt Galbraith, in July 2004 and tested to insure
he was safe to be used as a tease in September 2004.
On Saturday afternoon, we moved all but three does
to the trailer along with the tease buck. Those three
does were given a shot of Lutalyse (being programmed
to use on Monday). We hauled the entire group to the
collection site early Sunday morning and parked the
trailer so we could take the does, as required, to
the class room, a metal carport.

We did not
haul our bucks to be collection to the site even though
originally our buck were to be collected late Sunday
afternoon. With all the new arrivals, ours would be
done on Monday.

It took about
an hour to get everything going. Geoff and Nancy need
electrical connection from two different breakers
but straight 110 electric. While this was going on,
Nancy set up the travel trailer from living quarters
to working area.

Geoff had
a couple of bucks brought back to the collection area,
and the collection began. Our first doe was ready
and was placed in the collection stand. The first
buck was collected the first time and then a second
time. The second buck, a RRD
Remington son, did not like the tease. She was
small and not something he was interested in. So we
brought out another does, then another, and finally
we brought out Kattie.
It was love at first sight. He was collected, then
collected again. After a discussion, and a little
horse trading, it was decided that instead of us buying
a couple of his straws, we would get her naturally
bred after he had a chance to “recover.”
Kattie was bred a couple of time around 4 p.m.

Two buck
from Alabama were collected; however, the bigger buck
had an infection, and the sperm were not swimming
really good. Geoff decided the sperm would not be
frozen. The buck needs medication to get him back
at the top of his game.

A senior
Myotonic buck from Mississippi that had been physically
unable to perform to the top of his game a couple
of week earlier had been medicated for his arthritis
– and had bred the myotonic tease doe on the
trip to Tennessee – was collected even though
the quantity of the semen was less than the owners
would have liked.

Once the
semen is collected, it is analyzed under a microscope
and a machine to determine the quantity and quality,
density and viability, before determining if it should
be saved. Also the volume is determined … the
number of straws for that attempt. If all is well
and the owner wants more straws, a second or third
collection is affected. Following each collection,
the analysis is preformed.

Because of
the number of bucks collected on Sunday and because
some of the owners did not make it to the collection
site on time, the AI class did not start until 2:3o
p.m. 33 people attended the class. The Mastermans’
class is more mechanical than other classes I have
attended. Some I have attended talk about the reproductive
system of the doe, the timing of the AI, and what
causes the timing to be correct; but Geoff’s
class was more concerned with the AI procedure itself.
All of the reproductive stuff is suppose to have been
accomplished before getting to this point. He talks
about the equipment required and where and how to
place the semen where it will do the job.

Other than
the class starting later than planned, all the attendees
seemed to get a lot out of the class – at least
a better understanding of the process, to include
the collection phase. Everyone had the opportunity
to examine all the equipment used as well as the opportunity
to examine Dolly,
our non-volunteer doe. While Dolly would have preferred
to be anywhere except where she was, she patiently
stood on that stand for hours waiting for everyone
to get their chance. Finally, Geoff AIed her, using
semen from KWM’s
Enhancer II who was collected
last fall – about six months before we sold
him.

While Geoff
was teaching the class, Nancy was preparing straws
for semen by putting the name of the buck, registration
number, date collected, etc., on each tiny straw.

Following
Dolly, I brought out Quartz
then Panna. Geoff
AIed both with straws from RRD RS14 Remington’s
Hot Shot, an *Ennobled* RRD Remington son. Finally
Betsy was put on the stand; however, Betsy
was not ready. Geoff thought she should be ready to
AI on Monday. We had programmed five does to be used
as teases for the collection for Monday and had Brandy
ready, we hoped, to be AI.

We returned
the AIed does to the farm and prepared for Monday.
We unloaded the AIed does, fed the herd, dogs, cats
and rabbits, loaded the does to be used for Monday,
and returned to the Hillhouse place. Geoff and Nancy
worked long after everyone had left - labeling, filling,
and freezing straws. By 9 p.m. the first two bucks’
semen was frozen and in the tank. We took the chance
to offer food to the Mastermans - chicken stew that
had been cooking all day. They then returned to their
trailer, working long into the night labeling, filling
and freezing semen straws. We dropped the goat trailer
and headed home.

At 7:30 a.m.
we returned to the in-laws. Since everyone had been
told the collection would start at 8 a.m. and since
so many people had arrived early on Sunday, I expected
there to be trailers in the yard with bucks ready
to go. But no bucks were there. The Mastermans continued
to work on getting the Sunday straws ready. A straw
from each buck was unfrozen to test for motility.

At 9 a.m.,
we decided I should go get my bucks and bring them
out. I returned at 9:30 a.m. with Hercules,
Lucky, and Nickodemus.
When we returned, a doe was in the collection stand
and a buck was being collected.

The next
buck up was Bingo’s Superman, a very big dude.
After his first collection, the doe did not capture
his attention. We swapped does. Eventually I went
through all of my does. None were in standing heat
(although many of the bucks didn’t seem to mind).
I got worried. Geoff had told us about a couple of
his stops where no does were in heat. Finally, Mark
Lucus and Barry Quillan show up with their bucks.
Just before leaving home they discovered a does in
standing heat and put her on the trailer. If it had
not been for her, I’m sure the day would have
been seriously different.

She was ready,
and the bucks to be collected knew it. We collected
four Boer bucks, two Nubian bucks, my Hercules, then
two other Boer bucks. Finally it was Lucky’s
turn; we got 20 straws. Nickodemus was the last buck.
He was young; but since we lost his sister the week
before, poisoned by blue-green
algae, we wanted to get his semen collected. Unfortunately,
Nick was too young, did not give us the volume or
concentration needed to freeze.

With all
the bucks collected, Geoff and Nancy went to work,
labeling, analyzing, freezing, etc. Geoff did take
a break and AIed Betsy
with a straw from FSE 3061 Mayo, a Mojo Magic son,
and attempted to AI Brandy.
Brandy was not ready, but Geoff thought if the tease
and Brandy were left over night, well, we might have
a chance on Tuesday morning.

We moved
Brandy and the tease, Fred,
to a holding pen, returned the balance of our goats
to the farm, fed, and returned to the in laws’.
At 8:30 pm we finally talked Geoff and Nancy into
taking a food break. We took them to our favorite
Leoma restaurant.

At supper,
Geoff stated that some people who host collections
required two straws from any buck collected at the
collection be given to the host for hosting the collection.
Sure wish we had known that going in!! After a relaxing
meal, they went back to work and we went home.

On Tuesday
morning, 7:30 a.m., we attempted to AI Brandy; but
she was still not ready. We had lutalysed her in an
attempt to short cycle her, but she did not come into
estrus. We purchased some ‘good stuff’
semen from Geoff for Brandy; we determined we would
AI her when she comes back in to heat naturally.

By the time
we got there, Geoff and Nancy had placed the semen
of the various bucks into their respective storage
tanks and were still working. Finally, Geoff and Nancy
said goodbye and got on the road to Louisiana. We
were not trying to run them off, it was just that
they had such a long drive for Tuesday.

All in all,
hosting the AI Class and Buck Collection was great
fun. The Monday participants particularly seemed to
like their bar-b-qued
goat sandwiches. If all goes well, we will be
honored to host another collection next year.

On Sunday
afternoon, November 28, Brandy was flagging away;
so we brought in the tease buck, Fred, who indicated
she was ready. We moved Brandy to the AI/grooming
stand. I checked to see if she was ready, and she
was. We retrieved the purchased straw from the tank,
BNZ Zanadu,
and with little difficulty, inseminated Brandy.

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